Abrading-machine.



J. W. BUTLER.

ABRADING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED 1313.26, 1909.

Patpnted Deb. 12, 1911.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WILLIAM BUTLER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

ABRADINGr-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed February 26, 1909. Serial No. 480,195.

embodied in machines for buffing the soles of shoes, with the object of preventing the escape into the factory of the leather dust which is produced in large quantities by the operation of such machines, and also of increasing the life and efiiciency of the abrading surfaces of the butting rolls.

The nature of my improvement?, and the features of construction and arrangement in which the invention resides and by means of which the results above referred to are secured, will appear from the ensuing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of a bufling machine embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in the righthand portion of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the attachment hereinafter described.

My improvements may be applied to existing buffing machines by adding the same thereto in the form ofan attachment, few if any changes being required in the old parts of the machines now in common use in order thatthis may be done, and in the accompanying drawings'I have shown such an attachment as applied to a common form of bufling machine the old parts of which include a suitable framework 2, a rotating buffing roll 3 mounted on a horizontal shaft 4 which is journaled in suitable bearings 5, a backboard 6 having an aperture 7 located adjacent to the bufling roll, and a chamber 8 located behind the backboard 6 and aperture 7, through which chamber a draft of air is created by suitable means (not shown) for the purpose of sucking through the aperture 7 the fine particles of leather produced by the action of the bufiing roll and conveying the same to a suitable point of discharge; According to the common practice two bufling rolls mounted on the same shaft are employed in each buffing machine, but for my present purpose it will suffice to describe my invention in connection with but one bufiing roll and the adjacent parts of the machine. r

To the parts above described I add a brush 9, which preferably has the same length. as the buffing roll or the abrading surface thereof and is secured in fixed position behind the roll and extending parallel with the latter, with the free ends'of the bristles 10 in contact with the abrading surface of the roll. By preference, in orderthat the brush 9 may be applied as an attachment to existing bufling machines, said brush is carried by a frame 11 which may be readily bolted or otherwise secured to'the backboard 6 or other fixed part ofthe machine. In such case the frame 11 preferably includes forwardly-extending end portions 12 which are curved at their front edges to. conform substantially to the contour of the roll 3 and are located close to the latter on opposite sides of the aperture 7, and a forwardly-projecting plate 13 extends along the top of the frame 11 from one of the end portions 12 to the other, above the aperture 7, the brush 9 being detachably secured to said top plate so that said brush may be removed when worn out and replaced by a new one. In the construction illustrated the attachment of the brush to the frame 11 is accomplished by locating the back of the brush beneath the top plate 13 and providing said plate with slots 14 through which headed screws 15 are passed into the back of the brush, as shown in Fig. 3, so-that the brush may be adjusted bodily toward and from the periphery of'the roll 3 and clamped in any desired position by means of said screws. p

The parts above described are so arranged that the frame 11 and the brush which it carries form a sort of housing which practically closes'the approach to the aperture 7 from above the roll 3, so that the air current which is drawn through said aperture hasto pass beneath the roll 3 and thence beneath the brush 9 and into the chamber 8, the back of said frame being open where it overlies the aperture 7 and the brush 9 is preferably caused to slant downward and forward somewhat, as shown in Fig. 1, in such position that the bristles point slightly downward and engage the abrading surface of the roll about opposite the longitudinal axis of the latter.

The parts above described operate as follows z-lVhen a brush 9 is first applied to the buffing machine it is adjusted far enough forward to cause the free ends of its bristles to lap slightly upon the abrading surface of the roll 3, the direction of rotation of said roll being that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. As soon as the roll 3 is rotated its abrading surface, which commonly consists of a sheet of sand paper wrapped around the roll, rapidly wears away the bristles until they are shortened to such an extent that they just make contact with the surface of the roll, whereupon the wear on the bristles practically ceases. In this manner the brush is accurately fitted to the surface of the roll, so that it makes close contact therewith throughout its length. If now the roll 3 is caused to act upon the sole of a shoe in the usual manner, the particles of leather removed from the sole are in part thrown downward and away from the roll and are drawn into the chamber 8 by the air current passing through the aperture 7 which is maintained during the operation of the machine, while a considerable portion of the particles of leather, and particularly the finer particles, adhere to the rough surface of the roll and are carried around therewith until the brush 9 is reached, whereupon the tips of the bristles act upon the surface of the roll somewhat in the manner of an exceedingly fine-toothed comb, with the result that said surface is thoroughly cleansed from the adhering particles of leather, which particles are not only removed by the brush but are also thrown downward and away from the roll by the vibration of the bristles due to their contact with the moving abrading surface, and thus are thrown directly into the air current which is passing through the aperture 7 whereby they are removed and discharged in the usual manner. The brush and its frame also act as a screen to prevent floating particles of leather from passing upward above the roll, and inasmuch as they practically close the entrance to the aperture 7 from above the roll, as already stated, the air current is obliged to pass through the correspondingly restricted space beneath said roll, with the result that the force of the draft and its resulting efficiency are largely increased.

I have found, in the practical use of a machine made in accordance with my invention, that the escape of leather dust into the room in which the machine is located is almost perfectly prevented, and also that by reason of the continuous cleansing of the abrading surface of the roll the life of said surface and the efficiency thereof are greatly increased. I have also found that after a brush has once been worn down to fit the roll the subsequent wear on the brush is very slight, so that one brush will give efficient service for a long time, particularly in view of the fact that the brush may be adjusted bodily toward the roll whenever the wear on the bristles requires this to be done.

Inasmuch as the sand paper with which buffing rolls are usually covered has to be removed when worn out and replaced by fresh sheets, the top plate 13 which carries the brush is preferably hinged at its rear edge to the frame 11, so that said top plate 13 and the brush 9 may be thrown upward and backward into a position in which they will be out of the way of the operator when the sand paper on the buffing roll is to be changed. In such case the back of the frame 11 preferably consists of two rods 16 which connect the end portions 12, and the top plate 13 is hinged to the upper rod 16 and is made of such length that its ends will overlap the portions 12 of the frame and project sufficiently beyond the same to provide thumb pieces for throwing the brush upward and backward as above described. A spring 17 normally holds said plate 13 down upon the ends of the frame 11, which serve as' stops to hold the brush in the desired position.

lVhile I have herein described my improvements as embodied in an attachment for existing buffing machines, it is to be understood that my invention may be otherwise applied to bufiing and other abrading machines, and that it is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement herein shown and described, since the essence of my invention may be embodied in various other constructions operating in the same way and with the same results, as will be evident.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with an abrading roll, of a non-rotating pivotally-mounted brush located adjacent to the same, with the free ends of the bristles bearing upon the abrading surface of the roll.

2. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotating roll having an abrading surface, a casing located adjacent to the roll and providing a passage for the escape of the abraded particles, and a non-rotating pivotally-mounted brush having the free ends of its bristles arranged to bear upon the abrading surface of the roll, adjacent to the entrance to the passage in the casing.

33. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotating roll having an abrading surface, a non-rotating pivotally-mounted brush located adjacent to the roll with the free ends of its bristles bearing upon the abrading surfaces thereof, and means for adjusting the brush toward and away from said abrading surface.

4;. A machine of the character described, comprising a rotating roll having a removable abrading surface, and a non-rotating brush located adjacent to the roll with the free ends of its bristles bearing upon the abrading surface thereof, said brush being normally stationary when cooperating with the roll and being movable away from the roll to facilitate the removal of said abrading surface.

5. The combination with an abrading machine comprising a rotating abrading roll, a hollow casing having an inlet aperture located adjacent to the roll, and means for creating a forced draft of air through said aperture and easing, of a non-rotating brush having its normal position stationary with respect to the roll with the free ends of its bristles in contact with the abrading surface of the roll, adjacent to said aperture, said brush being movable bodily toward and away from the roll.

6. The combination with an abrading machine comprising a rotating abrading roll, a hollow casing having an inlet aperture lo- 1 cated adjacent to the roll, and means for creating a forced draft of air through said aperture and easing, of a non-rotating pivotally-mounted brush having its normal position stationary with respect to the roll with the free ends of its bristles in contact with the abrading surface of the roll and normally closing the entrance to said aperture from one side of the roll.

7. The combination with an abrading machine comprising a rotating abrading roll, a hollow casing having an inlet aperture located adjacent to the roll, and means for creating a forced draft of air through said aperture and easing, of a non-rotating brush having the free'ends of its bristles in contact with the abrading surface of the roll, said brush being pivotally mounted to swing toward and away from said roll,

8. An attachment for abrading machines comprising a frame and a non-rotating pivotally-mounted brush secured thereto and constituting a housing which is open beframe and'overlapping said end portions,

means for normallyholding the top plate in its lowermost position, and a brush carried by said top plate with its bristles extending forward therefrom.

11. An attachment for abrading machines comprising a frame having an open back, end portions extending forward therefrom, a top plate hinged at its rear edge to said frame and overlapping said end portions, a-

spring normally holding the top plate in its lowermost position, and a brush carried by said top plate with its bristles extending forward therefrom, said brush being adjustable on the top plate in the direction of the length of its bristles.

12. An attachment for abrading machines comprising end portions connected by longitudinally extending rods, a top plate hinged thereto and provided with means for normally holding it in predetermined position, and a brush carried by said top plate with its bristles extending forward therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this twenty-third day of February, 1909.

JAMES WILLIAM BUTLER.

Witnesses:

EVERETT E. KENT, E. D. CHADwIoK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

